


Babysat

by Ellie226



Series: Mark/El [17]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Age Play, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Belts, Cutting, Daddy Kink, Discipline, F/F, F/M, Mommy Kink, Spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-20
Updated: 2012-02-20
Packaged: 2017-10-31 11:36:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/343613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellie226/pseuds/Ellie226
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark needs to go out of town, and he thinks El needs someone to watch her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Babysat

“Hi sweetheart,” Daddy kissed me on the cheek and then dropped onto the stool next to me. “Thank you for remembering to use your lamp without me helping,” he added.

I nodded, engrossed in my coloring.

“Pardon?” Daddy said, picking me up and pulling me to sit on his lap. “I don’t think I heard you,” he continued, nuzzling against my neck.

“Daddy,” I said irritably, “I’m coloring.”

“I can see that Princess; your picture is beautiful, but you know what you’re supposed to do when someone talks to you. So we’ll try this again: hi sweetheart.”

I rolled my eyes, but responded, “Hi.”

“Very good. Thank you for remembering to use your lamp without me having to remind you.”

“You’re welcome? I don’t really know how to respond to that Daddy. I mean, I’m supposed to do it; if I don’t, you get-” I paused, thinking for a minute.

Daddy supplied a word, “Helpful?”

“Swatty,” I corrected. 

“How long have you been sitting here?” Daddy asked. I could hear him smiling, even if his face was pressed against my back so I couldn’t see him.

I checked the clock, “Almost 30 minutes. I have like three minutes left.”

“Good girl,” he said approvingly.

“May I please color now Daddy?” I wiggled a little, wanting off of his lap.

He released me, “Go on.”

Hopping back up onto my stool, I went back to my mandala. Daddy just sat there watching me, and I finally looked up at him suspiciously. “What?”

“What what? Maybe I’m just happy to see you. Do you want to order take out tonight? I feel like sushi. Or maybe Thai food,” he stood up as he said that, going to the drawer and rifling through our menus.

“You’re avoiding eye contact,” I looked back down at my picture, coloring. He was doing something. “You know, I’m going to find out whatever it is,” I pointed out.

Daddy groaned, leaning on the counter on his elbows so that he could look at me, “I know. I was just hoping to put off the argument until after dinner.”

I put down my pencil at that and pushed the coloring book away, “What argument?”

“I have to go on a business trip,” Daddy winced as he said that.

And he should. I hate business trips, “When?” I got out through gritted teeth.

“Wednesday through Friday, in Chicago.”

“But I can’t take time off from work Daddy.” Okay, that actually was kind of irritating. Because I like Chicago; the last time I got dragged along I ended up having to go to Cleveland. 

“I know. You have that trial.”

“What’s your game here?” He had gone back to avoiding eye contact. This was not a good sign.

“Remember what I told you the last time I left you alone so that I could travel for work?”

“Yeah, you said that I wasn’t getting left home alone again because I got crazy. But I can’t go Daddy; I can’t prep someone else for this trial. It has to be me. Plus, it’s the prosecutor I like.”

“I know you can’t take the time off of work. And I didn’t say crazy; I told you that you couldn’t be left home alone again because you didn’t take care of yourself.”

I sat, waiting. He had some sort of trick that I wasn’t going to like.

“So I made arrangements for you to stay with Lisa and Mia while I’m gone,” he finally said.

My eyes widened at that, “What? No! I can stay by myself Daddy. I’m not a baby.”

“No,” he shook his head, “You’re going. It will be fun Princess. Like a slumber party.”

“It won’t be fun,” I stood up; my voice had risen, “It will be like I need a babysitter. Which I don’t.”

Daddy looked at me then, raising an eyebrow, “Lower your voice,” he warned me quietly.

“No! This isn’t fair Daddy. I’m fine now; I’d be okay by myself. I don’t need a babysitter,” my voice was still pretty loud, and I slapped the counter in frustration as I finished.

“El, I know you’re upset, but you need to calm down and lower your voice. We don’t talk to each other like that, and you know better than to tell me no.”

I made a little noise of frustration, and then I turned to stalk out of the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Daddy followed behind me.

I turned to look at him, “I need some space. I want you to leave me alone. It’ll be good practice for your stupid business trip anyway,” I turned to storm into the bedroom.

And that was too far. I was angry enough as I said it that I didn’t even realize that until I felt Daddy’s hand grab my arm.

“That’s enough young lady,” he pulled me close to his body and spoke into my ear, his voice soft and firm, “No more tantrums tonight, or you’re going to get a spanking. Understood?”

“Yes,” I said angrily.

“I want you to go sit in time-out. I think you need to think about your behavior, and how we talk to each other.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, but I went to time-out. Daddy made me stand there for a million years; I wasn’t going to apologize. Daddy was wrong. It wasn’t fair.

“El?” Daddy had been seated on the couch, watching me, “I’m getting a little hungry. Are you ready to apologize so that you can come out?”

I turned around to look at him, “It’s not fair Daddy. I don’t want to go to Mia’s house.”

“We’re not talking about that right now. We’re talking about the way you chose to express yourself earlier. Are you allowed to talk to Daddy like that?”

Arms crossed and pouting, I responded, “No. But I don’t want to go.”

“I understand that. But is it fair for you to talk to me like that? Do I talk to you like that?”

“No sir,” he didn’t yell or be mean to me, no matter what I said. I let my arms fall, “I’m sorry. I’m still not happy,” I clarified, “But I shouldn’t have been talking like that.”

“Thank you Baby. Will you come here?”

I slowly walked to the couch, still pretty frustrated and now dealing with a certain amount of shame about how I had talked to him.

Daddy pulled me down onto the couch with him, hugging me. “I know you don’t like the idea Princess, but I don’t feel like I can leave you alone. You need to show me that you make good decisions so that I can trust that you’re going to do what you’re supposed to.”

I settled my back against him, pulling my knees up. “But I used my lamp today Daddy,” I pointed out in a small voice.

“You did, and I’m very proud of you. But I need to see that more often before I feel like you’d take care of yourself if I wasn’t here.”

I nodded, relaxing against him and slipping my thumb into my mouth.

“Are you hungry Baby?”

I nodded.

“Should we order sushi?”

“Okay,” I told him quietly.

We ordered dinner and ate, and then Daddy gave me my bath and we climbed into bed. 

Mark’s POV

Once I had us both in bed, I played with her hair. It was one of the best ways to get her to start talking. Staying quiet, I waited her out. It didn’t take long.

“So you’re going to leave day after tomorrow?”

I nodded, “Yes. I’m going to leave Wednesday morning. But really early. So tomorrow night, after Dr. Finnegan, you’re going to go to Mia’s house.”

“I want to stay with you tomorrow night,” she protested.

“I know Baby, but Daddy’s getting up at like 4:00 AM. So you’re going to go to Mia’s on Tuesday night.”

I could hear the pout on her face, even if I couldn’t see it, “I don’t like that.”

“I understand. Thank you for talking with me instead of yelling.”

“And you come back Friday?” she asked me.

“Yes. My last meeting is at 1:00. I’ll be back by dinner time.”

She fell silent again at that, and I had to go back to carding my fingers through her hair and waiting her out.

Finally, I couldn’t take the quiet anymore, “I need you to promise that you’re going to show Lisa what a good girl you can be. Will you promise me that?”

“What if I don’t?” she challenged.

“Then you’re going to get a spanking,” short. To the point. Dr. Finnegan has told me that I spend too much time discussing things when El needed to simply hear where the line is. And this is it. If Lisa and Mia were willing to open their home to El so that I could feel comfortable when I go out of town, then she needed to behave herself.

She was quiet for a moment, digesting that. “You would spank me?” she finally said hesitantly.

“Is that what’s been bothering you Princess? Do you think that Lisa’s going to spank you?”

“Mia says her mommy is mean Daddy. She washes Mia’s mouth out when she swears.”

I managed not to laugh at that, “Then don’t swear El. I know you know how to follow rules.”

“I don’t want her to spank me. Just you.”

“You want me to spank you?” I teased gently.

“You know what I mean,” and the pouty voice was back.

“El, I’m not going to promise you that Lisa won’t spank you. You know why?” I waited to see if she wanted to hazard a guess.

She didn’t, so I continued. “I’m not going to because I don’t want you to think that you have carte blanche to do whatever you please while I’m gone. I’ll talk to Lisa; she’s not just going to haul off and smack you for something small, but I’m not going to say that she absolutely cannot discipline you.”

“Why?” she whined, worrying her cuticles.

I grabbed her hands and held them for a moment, “Don’t Baby.”

“But why Daddy?” she was getting more upset, and I hugged her tightly so that she couldn’t get out of bed and storm out. I didn’t want to deal with the spanking that would require.

“Because El, I don’t want you to do something ridiculous. And I know you; you would be willing to do something very naughty if you thought it meant Lisa wouldn’t let you spend the night again or that I would come home early. So I’m giving you an incentive to behave.”

“Not fair,” she grumbled.

“She’s not just going to spank you El. But, if she feels like you’ve done something bad, and she has to call before my trip is over, I’m going to tell her to. And, if you act up while you’re with her, I will spank you when I get back. Even if you already got a spanking while you’re there. Understand?”

She nodded sullenly.

“And, you’ll follow their rules while you’re there. I’m sure Lisa has some brilliant methods for dealing with bratty little girls, and if you decide to break their rules to see what will happen, you’ll get to learn all about them.”

She pulled herself up so that she could look at me, “But I’m ‘llowed to swear Daddy. Mia isn’t.”

“And when you’re in Mia and Lisa’s house, you need to follow their rules,” I lifted a hand up to push her hair away from her eyes. “I know you know how to be polite. It would be very rude to act like their rules don’t matter.”

She settled back down, her back to me. “I don’t like you very much right now,” she said.

“That’s fine. I love you anyway. Are you ready to sleep, or do you want to talk some more about this week? Or maybe this weekend? Because I thought we could do something fun together.”

“I don’t want to talk to you right now,” she told me, her voice growly and angry.

“Alright. I appreciate you talking to me and not throwing a temper tantrum. Good night Princess,” I kissed her and pulled her back toward me so that we could spoon together.

She wiggled in my grasp, “I don’t feel like cuddling right now,” she said.

“That’s unfortunate. Good night,” I closed my eyes and focused on breathing slowly, hoping El would follow my lead and go to sleep.

El’s POV

Daddy reminded me before I left for work the next day, “You need to come straight home so we can pack and then go to therapy.”

I made a face at my oatmeal, “I don’t want to go to Lisa and Mia’s house Daddy. I really really don’t.”

“Your protests have been noted. You’re going.”

I decided to finish breakfast so that I could leave and go to work where I didn’t have large bossy men telling me what to do.

I luxuriated in my 10 hours away from home; it was wonderful to be treated like a competent adult. Daddy had gone entirely too far, getting me a babysitter.

I skipped lunch in protest. By the time I got home, I was feeling a bit nauseated and light headed. Daddy gave me a hug, and I grumpily pushed him away.

“What’s that?” he asked, his voice pretty surprised.

“I don’t like you right now,” I told him.

“El, I understand that you’re upset; you’re allowed to be angry that you have to go. But you need to watch your behavior,” he warned.

I didn’t respond, and he sighed, taking my hand, “Let’s go pack.”

I wanted to pack for myself, but Daddy made me sit on the bed and watch. This did not improve my mood.

“No Daddy, I don’t want that skirt. I want the tweedy one.”

Daddy calmly pulled the pinstriped skirt from my suitcase and reached for the other kind. I waited two minutes, and then told him, “I changed my mind. I’d rather have the pinstriped skirt.”

Daddy gave me a look, but he swapped them out again.

“I need my pumps too Daddy.”

“Not for trial Baby. Flats. You know that,” Daddy didn’t bother to make eye contact, too focused on packing. 

I crossed my arms and huffed, “I want my heels,” I told him, my voice dangerously low.

“Flats,” he simply repeated, going to my dresser to grab pajamas.

“No Daddy, I don’t want those.”

Daddy turned to look at me finally, “Eleanor, I’m packing your stuff. You need to stop it now, before I decide that you need a spanking.” He stared at me for a minute, and I finally flopped backward so I was laying down.

He finished packing for both of us quickly, and then he came to sit next to me on the bed. “Shall we cuddle for a little while before therapy Baby?”

I shook my head no; I wasn’t ready to let him off the hook yet.

“Alright. What toys do you want?”

“Stella,” I said.

“What else?”

“Just Stella.”

He rolled his eyes, but grabbed my suitcase, and then he nodded toward the door, “Let’s go downstairs then.”

I held onto Stella as we walked downstairs, and he settled me at the counter so that he could make me dinner before therapy. As it was cooking, he grabbed my crayons and a couple of coloring books and added them to the suitcase.

“I said just Stella,” I said, my tone maybe a little bit snotty.

“I think that you need to go wait in time out for a bit Baby,” he said, not bothering to look at me even.

“No,” I shook my head. He was wrong. I didn’t need time out.

“Not a request. Go,” he pointed toward the corner, and I pouted my way over to sit on the stupid naughty stool.

Mark’s POV

I checked the clock once she settled down, and I decided that we had enough time for her cool her heels for ten minutes. From her complaints, it doesn’t matter how long she’s in anyway. She always thinks that it’s longer.

I turned down the burner on the soup and quickly made grilled cheese sandwiches. After washing the grapes and putting milk into her sippy cup, I called her over. I picked her up and sat her on the counter and then leaned in so that I could make eye contact.

“Is the attitude problem gone Princess? Or did you want a spanking before you go to therapy?”

Her eyes widened, and I could tell that she was already dangerously close to tears, “No Daddy,” she said quickly.

“Alright then,” I lifted her down, “Sit down and eat,” as she turned to walk away, I landed a hard smack to her bottom, “And behave yourself.”

She jumped, but then she sat down on her stool and obediently ate the food I put in front of her. She wrinkled her nose at the sippy cup, but she drank her milk.

“Ready to go Princess?” I asked her once she finished.

She nodded, subdued now, and we went to therapy.

El’s POV

I spent my entire session with Dr. Finnegan complaining about having to go to Mia’s. We talked about why Daddy was making me, and Dr. Finnegan tried to talk about how much fun seeing Mia would be.

I wasn’t buying it. By the time we finished, I was wound up again, and we did not have a good drive to Mia’s house.

I did a lot of stuff that I know makes him mad. Daddy had to keep reaching over to push my feet off of my seat, and I fiddled with the windows and the radio. 

After several warnings, I got a slap across the top of my thigh. It didn’t do much. 

Mark’s POV

She was deliberately trying to provoke me. I know that. After I smacked her leg, I actually got about two minutes of peace. And then her feet were back up on the seat.

“El, this is your last warning. I’m sure that Lisa and Mia have someplace quiet where we can discuss this. Is that what you want to do tonight?”

“No,” she spat out, arms folded across her chest and this look of utter disdain on her face.

“Then you need to behave yourself.”

She looked at me, and then calmly put her feet back up on the seat. “I guess you’ve made your decision,” I said calmly, as I reached over to push them down, “You’re going to need to ask Lisa to borrow a wooden spoon.”

“What? No Daddy, that’s not fair.”

“How on Earth is that not fair Eleanor? I’ve given you so many opportunities yesterday and today.”

“I don’t want to ask for a spoon! That’s embarrassing.”

“Then you should have behaved yourself.”

She started crying then, “Please don’t make me Daddy. Pleeeeeease? I’m really sorry; you don’t gotta spank me. I’ll be goooooood.”

I forced myself to not look at her. If I saw her crying, I was not going to be able to follow through. “You decided to disobey Daddy; you know what that means.”

She made a whining noise, and started crying harder as we pulled into their driveway. “Go on then Princess. I’ll get your suitcase; you go and ask Lisa if there’s someplace private for us to talk, and ask for a spoon too please.”

She tried one last time, “Daddy! Noooooo. I’ll be good; I swear.”

“Go. Now. I’m not asking you again.” I turned off the car and got out, hoping that she would actually do what I told her to so I didn’t need to figure out a new plan.

She got out of the car, and slammed the door as hard as she could. I gritted my teeth as I watched her walk up to the door and knock.

Taking a few deep breaths, I grabbed her suitcase and followed her. Mia was waiting at the door for me, her eyes wide.

El’s POV

I managed to hold back sobs as I knocked. When Lisa opened the door and ushered me in, I choked out a request for a quiet room and a spoon, and I was led into the guest bedroom. Daddy came in a minute later with the spoon that Lisa had given him.

I had gone immediately to the corner upon entering the room, hoping that a display of obedience now might convince Daddy to not spank me. 

No such luck. I heard him settle himself onto the bed, and then I was called over. I twisted my hands together nervously as I stared at the floor and shuffled over to stand in front of him.

Daddy lifted my chin, “Why are you getting this spanking Eleanor?” His voice was completely calm as he asked; he didn’t sound angry, just really tired.

“Because I was bad,” I whispered, tears still rolling down my cheeks.

He sighed, “Try again.”

I lifted my hands up to scrub the tears away, “I didn’t listen. But I’m sorry Daddy; I really really am. Not just because I don’t want a spanking.” Okay, mostly because I don’t want a spanking and a little bit because I don’t want Lisa and Mia to know that I’m in trouble. But we don’t need to be overly specific with him.

He nodded at that, making short work of tugging my trousers and panties to my knees. Then he guided me over his lap. He started out with his hand, “I gave you a lot of warnings today Eleanor. I didn’t want to spank you, and you decided to keep breaking the rules. Well, this is where it gets you.” He smacked steadily, moving his hand all over so I never knew where to expect the next swat to fall.

“I know I know. I’m sorrrrrrry,” I cried, wiggling already.

“It’s not about being sorry; it’s about you following our rules,” he stopped spanking me for a moment, and then I felt the spoon.

It hurt. I could kind of hear Daddy lecturing, but mostly I could hear me crying. He stopped spanking for a moment, and I think he must have asked me a questions.

I decided to just guess what it might have been, “I’m sorry I didn’t listen. I’ll be gooooooood.” I wiggled and cried.

That must have been somewhere close to right because he didn’t bring the spoon down again. Instead, I felt his hand rubbing slow circles on my back. Once I’d calmed down a little, he helped me sit up, and he cuddled with me.

“I know you’re not happy right now,” he said quietly, “But I need you to be my big girl. I have to go on this business trip; you have to go to work. Are you going to be brave for me Princess?”

I buried my face against his shoulder and shook my head, “I don’t want you to gooooooooo,” I whined, unhappy.

“I know you don’t. I don’t want to go, but I have to. It’s Tuesday night; I’ll be back by Friday. Will you please just behave yourself so we can have a fun weekend instead of me spanking you?”

I nodded, still a little shuddery.

“Thank you,” he said, kissing me. “I think we need to go and talk with Lisa and Mia now Princess.”

I shook my head at that. I did not want to have a conversation with them after that. I know that they heard me crying, and they knew what was happening.

“Yes,” he told me, “It’s not going to get any easier. Let’s just go. And you need to give Lisa back the spoon,” he helped me stand up and handed it to me.

“Don’t make me Daddy. Please?” I begged, mortified at the idea.

“We needed it because of you. You need to be the one to take it back to her and say thank you. Now go on,” Daddy’s face seemed sympathetic, but he wasn’t going to budge on this. 

I wanted to turn and stomp off, but the only thing worse than Lisa and Mia knowing I was getting spanked was them seeing it. And if I decided to start stomping, it was very likely that Daddy would feel it appropriate to spank me regardless of whether they were watching or not.

Lisa was in the living room reading, and Mia was sprawled on the floor coloring. I forced myself to walk over to Lisa, “Thank you,” I mumbled, my face bright red as I thrust the spoon at her.

“You’re welcome pumpkin. Mia, can you show El where this goes?” 

Mia stood up to lead me into the kitchen, and I heard Lisa and Daddy start to talk.

Mark’s POV

I knew that El was embarrassed, but I wanted to make an impression. I did not need to worry that she was going to do something stupid or dangerous to prove a point the minute I left.

I sighed as I settled into a chair across from Lisa. Handing her a bag, I began my instructions. “She has to take the fish oil gummies at night. She gets two. Then two of the Flintstones vitamins. The antidepressant is in the morning; she has to take it by 8:30, and she has to eat something first. She does half an hour of the lamp every evening. And you have to watch her like a hawk because she’ll skip any meal possible. Oh, and her work schedule is written down; don’t let her con you into any extra hours. I really appreciate you doing this.”

Lisa smiled at me. “No problem. I’m sure if I needed you to watch Mia you would.”

As Lisa said that, El and Mia came back into the living room. Mia went to sit next to Lisa, and El stood in the doorway, watching me with a fair amount of worry in her eyes.

“Why don’t we give you and El a minute,” Lisa suggested, taking Mia’s hand and walking out of the room.

“Come here Baby,” I told El softly. She looked like she was going to refuse, and then she walked over to me, throwing herself in my lap.

“I don’t want you to go,” she whispered, not making eye contact. 

“I know. But I’ll be back before you know it. And you’re going to have so much fun with Mia; you won’t even want to come home.”

“Don’t leave me,” she mumbled, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I’ll be good. I didn’t mean it when I telled you that I didn’t like you no more.”

“I know Baby. You were upset; it doesn’t matter what you say to me, I still love you. I’m not going because I’m mad or upset with you. I’m going because my boss says I have to go on a business trip, and I’ll be back Friday. You have to go to bed tonight, tomorrow, and one more night after that, and then we’ll be back at home. Now, can you give Daddy a kiss? My cab is going to be here in a second.”

She was tearing up again, and I decided it was best to just get this over and done with. I kissed her quickly and stood up. “Be a good girl Princess. I’m going to call every night, and I want to hear all about the fun you’ve had.”

I settled her down into the chair we’d been sitting in and handed her Stella. “I’m going to call you in an hour to make sure that you’re getting ready for bed. I love you,” I caressed her head one last time, and with a final kiss, I forced myself up and out to the cab I’d called.

El’s POV

I sat forlornly in the chair, watching Daddy leave. I managed to blink back new tears as Mia and Lisa came in.

“We were going to watch some television,” Mia offered quietly.

I shook my head, “I’m tired. I just want to go to sleep if that’s alright?” I looked at Lisa, making an effort to behave like Daddy asked.

“Not yet El. It’s only 8:30. Why don’t you come and watch some TV for half an hour, and then you can go get ready for bed.” Lisa smiled at me as she gently organized Mia and I to another room and settled us on the couch. Then she left.

“Do you mind cartoons?” Mia asked hesitantly.

I shook my head no. I didn’t care. I pulled my feet up and curled into the smallest space possible on the couch. Clutching Stella, I forced myself to pretend to watch what Mia had put on.

Lisa came back several minutes later with a snack. She handed us both sippy cups with milk, and then she offered me cookies.

“Your daddy mentioned that you like ginger snaps,” she said, smiling at me.

I took one, avoiding eye contact, and counted down the minutes until 9:00. Lisa released me then, as promised, and I hurried through a shower. I wanted Daddy to wash my hair like always, and I cried for a bit as I got myself ready for bed.

By the time I was settled into bed, Daddy was calling like he said he would.

“Hi Princess,” his voice was upbeat. “Are you getting ready for bed?”

“I’m in bed Daddy,” I told him.

“That’s my good girl. You must be tired tonight. Are we talking, or do you want to read your story?”

“Read,” I mumbled, curling up so that I was ready to fall asleep.

“Are you and Stella ready Baby?” he asked me.

“Uh huh. Read Daddy,” I ordered sleepily.

“Yes ma’am,” he said, a smile in his voice. “School Days. It was January in northern New York State 67 years ago. Snow lay deep everywhere.”

Mark’s POV

I had just finished the first chapter when I heard the phone moving. I heard a little whine from El, and then a voice murmuring something.

A door closed, “Mark?” It was Lisa.

“She fell asleep?” I asked.

“Out like a light. I wish Mia were that easy.”

“Oh yes, she’s a dream,” I said wryly, “Dr. Finnegan says it’s sleep as an avoidance tactic. But I guess it’s better than before. She did okay?” I was anxious.

“Yes. We watched cartoons for about half an hour, and then she insisted on getting ready for bed. I went in to check on her, and she’s showered and asleep with the phone at her ear. She’s fine.”

“Alright. Thanks again Lisa.”

“Just remember all of this gratitude when I call you because the two of them got into some brilliant scheme,” she teased.

We said our good nights, and I climbed into the large, empty, cold bed. El and I hadn’t been apart for more than two nights since we moved in together. She wasn’t the only one who was experiencing separation anxiety.

I laid down and forced myself to sleep. It wasn’t going to do her any good if I got worked up too.

El’s POV

I woke up when Lisa pried my phone away. She said something to me as she walked out, but then I was awake. And I was confused because I’m not my best when I first wake up.

I wasn’t at home. Daddy wasn’t in bed with me. And my bottom was still pretty sore because it hadn’t been that long since I got spanked. I whimpered a little, rubbing, and then I remembered where I was and what was going on.

And I didn’t mean to, but I started crying. I wanted my Daddy; I didn’t like this. And I really wanted my phone so that I could call Daddy and share that thought with him again. Especially now that he was 15 minutes away and couldn’t immediately spank me.

I heard the bedroom open, and then the bed dipped as someone sat down. A hand came down to stroke the hair away from my eyes. “Pumpkin? Did you have a bad dream?”

I tensed up. I didn’t like Lisa touching me; only Daddy touched me. Her hand stilled and then slowly withdrew. “I’m sorry. Mia mentioned you weren’t big on touching. I’m going to sit down next to the bed.”

I nodded a little, breathing easier when she settled herself on the floor next to me.

“Bad dream?” Her voice was sympathetic.

“I miss Daddy,” I told her, sniffling a little

I watched her move in an aborted effort at a hug, and she smiled sympathetically. “I know El. It’s really hard being away from him, but your daddy is coming back on Friday. It’s just a few days.”

I whimpered, “I want him now though.”

She nodded, not bothering to respond to that.

“You taked my phone?” I asked. I was pretty sure that was what happened, but I had been half-awake.

“I did. I didn’t want you to drop it or roll on it and break it.”

“I want to talk to Daddy.”

“No El,” she shook her head, “Daddy’s tired, and he has to leave early. It’s late. You need to go back to sleep. You can talk with him again tomorrow night.”

“I want to talk to him now though,” I cried, hoping that I could beg my way into what I wanted.

“I understand, but I’m saying no, not right now.”

I cried a little at that. Part of me wanted to throw a temper tantrum and see what happened, but I was already sore and I was worried because although a fit would mean Lisa would call Daddy, it would also mean that I’d get into trouble.

“I want to,” I tried one last time.

“No pumpkin,” she told me, shaking her head. “What else can we do to help you fall back to sleep?”

I shrugged, my thumb finding its way to my mouth.

“Mia likes it when I sing. Does your daddy sing?”

I shook my head no, wrinkling my nose. 

“No songs? What about a story?”

“Daddy reads, but I don’t want a story,” I mumbled around my thumb.

“Is there anything you would like me to do?”

“I just want Daddy.”

“Anything else?”

“No thank you,” I hugged Stella and wished that Lisa would leave. 

She sighed as she stood up, “Then I’m going to go out and talk with Mia some more. Sweet dreams,” her hand ghosted over my hair.

“I need my phone,” I told her in a small voice. I was hopeful that she would just think that I wanted it. Once she left, I could maybe just text Daddy really quick.

“You can have it back tomorrow morning.”

I pouted at that, but Lisa was already leaving, so she didn’t see.

Mark’s POV

We both got through the first day with no major upsets, and I didn’t talk with anyone until Wednesday night when I called El again.

“Hi Princess. Are you getting ready for bed?”

“Daddy,” her voice sounded like she was pouting, “I want you to come home now.”

“On Friday,” I reminded her patiently. 

El made the little whining noise that she makes when she’s contemplating throwing a fit.

“Baby,” I warned, “Don’t be naughty. I called to hear about how your day was, not so I could listen to a tantrum over the phone.”

She didn’t respond to that, but I could hear her breathing still. “Are we talking tonight, or do you want a story?”

“I don’t want a story. I fell asleep last time, and Lisa took my phone.” She was definitely pouting now.

“She did? Why don’t you tell me about your day then,” I settled into the armchair in my hotel room and looked out the window.

“It was boring.”

“That’s too bad. Do you want to hear what I did?” I’d spent the day in meetings; I wasn’t sure how to make that interesting.

“No.”

“What should we talk about then?”

“Daddy,” I wasn’t sure what she was going for, but that sounded like the bargaining voice, “I’m being very good.”

“You’re always good,” I rubbed the bridge of my nose as I said it. I was thinking that I was going to end up with a headache. 

“No, but my behavior has been very good Daddy. And good behavior should be rewarded.”

Maybe not a headache. I smiled, “It should? Well, I guess I won’t spank you when I get home then.”

“No Daddy. Spankings are punishment. Rewards are different. I deserve something special for behaving myself.”

“Uh huh, and what did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know. But you should probably find time to go shopping while you’re in Chicago.”

“I’ll think about it. Would Lisa say your behavior has been good?”

“Uh huh. I ate all my dinner Daddy; I even ate peas. I hate peas, but I ate them, and I didn’t complain.”

“Good girl.” 

“Mia got her mouth washed out,” El said it in a whisper, clearly appalled.

“Yeah?”

“She said a bad word, and her mommy used soap. And she got swatted lots Daddy.”

“You’ve been watching your language though El. Right?” I needed to make sure; she swore like a sailor when she wasn’t around me.

“Uh huh,” she said, affronted, “You said follow the rules Daddy. I’m being a good listener.”

I heard what sounded like her stifling a yawn on the other end, “Are you getting sleepy?” 

“Nu uh.”

“I want you to lay down and close your eyes Princess. Are the lights off?”

“Yes?”

“Fibber. Go turn them off please.” There was a sigh and some movement, but then I could hear her getting back under the covers. “Thank you. Good night El.”

“We didn’t talk barely at all Daddy,” she complained.

“It’s time for bed. I’ll talk to you again tomorrow. Good night Princess.”

El’s POV

I didn’t want to hang up; I wanted him to talk to me. I yawned again and tried to beg for more time, “Please Daddy? Just a little more time.”

I was struggling to keep my eyes open, but I wasn’t willing to concede defeat just yet.

“What do you want to talk about Baby?” he sounded amused.

“Ummmmmm, this weekend!”

“This weekend? What about it?”

“You said we’d do something special,” I reminded him.

“I did? That doesn’t sound like something I’d say,” he teased.

“Uh huh. You promised.”

“I think what I said was that we’d do something special if you behaved yourself.”

“I have.”

“What do you want to do then Baby?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. 

Daddy began listing options. He talked about what movies were coming out, and whether we should go to a museum again. As he talked, I felt my eyes fluttering closed. I jerked up, wanting to stay awake longer, but I was fading fast.

Mark’s POV

I heard El’s breathing deepen, and I wanted to hang up the phone. Then I heard a noise, and she mumbled, “Hands on museum Daddy.”

“That sounds fun,” I smiled, listening to the sounds that she was making. “I think somebody is sleepy,” I told her.

“No,” she said, “I’m wide ‘wake Daddy,” she slurred the words slightly.

“I can hear that Princess. It’s time to say good night. Sweet dreams Baby; I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“No Daddy!” she sounded a little more awake now, “I’m not sleepy. I want to talk to you more.”

“El, it’s time to sleep. You sound exhausted.”

“No,” she told me, “I’m not sleepy yet. I want to talk more.”

I shook my head at that, “No Baby, I can tell that you’re sleepy now. Be a good girl and close your eyes.”

“You talk to me still?” I could hear her shifting in the bed, and I wanted to curl up with her.

“If you promise to lay down and close your eyes, I’ll talk to you Should I read another chapter in our book?”

“Nu uh,” she was falling asleeping.

“Alright. Shall I tell you about my trip?”

“K,” she breathed softly.

“Well, I’m staying right downtown; that’s nice. I think we should come back to Chicago the next time we can both get a few days off from work. You’d love this hotel Baby; they have a spa, and I’ve got a great view.”

“Uh huh. We could get massages,” she told me, pausing between each word.

“We could. That would be a lot of fun. And it’s walking distance to shopping. We could go to the American Girl Doll Store. Stella should have a friend.”

“Uh huh.”

“I had drinks on the terrace tonight with clients, and you can see the city,” I kept talking for a while. We’d been to Chicago together before, but El was always up for travel. As long as I could convince her that her office wouldn’t implode as soon as she left. 

After finishing up my description of the street performers, I finally heard the even breathing that meant she was really asleep.

“Good night Baby,” I said, even though she probably couldn’t hear me. Then I hung up my phone and started to get myself ready for bed.

El’s POV

Thursday did not go so well. It had just been one of those days. I hit snooze too many times and had to rush to work. Then, my to do list went to hell because I couldn’t get five minutes without a telephone call. And they weren’t even important; I was just refereeing bullshit disputes.

So by the time I got to Mia’s, I wasn’t in the best mood. I brightened slightly when Mia explained that Lisa had called; she was also having a bad day, and she was stuck at the office until 8:00. She had told Mia that we should make ourselves dinner and behave.

I sat down on a stool and laid my head on the counter, “Can we drink our dinner?” I asked, half-joking. 

“Mommy doesn’t let me drink,” Mia told me, irritation pretty clear in her voice.

I sat up at that, “You mean at all?”

“Nope. Alcohol doesn’t mix well with antidepressants,” she said, making it pretty clear what she thought of that by her hand gestures and a roll of her eyes.

“I’m not supposed to drink, but I’m allowed to some of the time. But I have to be with Daddy, and it’s supposed to be like a special occasion. And bad days are never considered special occasions because he says that it’s not healthy to deal with stress by drinking tequila,” I looked at the counter top, “I’d settle for vodka.”

“Vodka we have,” Mia opened the freezer and pulled out a bottle, “And it’s good shit too. We got it for something, and it’s just been hanging out in here for a while. Lisa wouldn’t notice if we both just had one drink.”

“She would with me,” damn that was tempting. “I’m a cheap date. I’ll be giggly and loose with one drink. Two and I’m noticeably drunk.”

Mia looked so disappointed at that, “You can though Mia,” I didn’t want her to not have fun because of me.

She shook her head, “No. It’s no fun by myself.” She set the vodka on the counter and sat down next to me. We both stared at the bottle glumly, not speaking.

Then Mia had a brilliant idea, “It’s 6:00. If we both have one drink, then we’ll be sober by 8:00. Right? I mean, we’ll eat dinner and have water. And Mommy will never know.”

I looked at her, skeptical, but I really wanted a drink. One wouldn’t hurt. “Do you have cranberry juice?” I finally asked.

“Uh huh,” Mia jumped up and quickly mixed us both cranberry and vodkas. We laughed and talked as we drank the first drinks, and we weren’t really drunk after that. So we decided to have another drink.

“We should make dinner,” I giggled as we finished our second cocktails.

“Cranberries are fruit,” Mia pointed out.

I drummed my fingers on the counter, “Vodka is made out potatoes,” I conceded.

“So we have another drink. 8:00 really means 8:30. Everyone knows that. By the time she gets home, we’ll both have showered, and we’ll brush our teeth.”

And that was how we got the third drink. Midway through that (very delicious) cocktail, Lisa walked in. She smiled and went to hug Mia.

“Hi Mommy!” Mia said brightly, trying to steer Lisa out of the kitchen.

“Hi Baby. Did you have a good day?” Lisa sidestepped Mia, “Did you guys make dinner? I know I’m a little early.”

As Lisa was talking, I was trying to figure out where we could stash the vodka. It had kind of been behind a vase, and the angle was working for us. But Lisa was going to walk around in the kitchen, and she would see it.

“I did. I had a great day,” As Mia tried to block Lisa, I couldn’t help it.

I giggled. Stupid stress laughter. 

Lisa smiled at me, “You must have had a good day,” she said.

I nodded, trying to pull it together. Now that I had started to giggling, it was going to be almost impossible to stop. 

Mia was making faces at me, trying to get me to stop, but crazy face doesn’t help the situation.

“I’m sorry,” I choked out, “It’s work stress.”

Mia’s eyes widened. Apparently that wasn’t the lie to go with, and I could see why. Lisa was now walking toward me and raising a hand to my forehead. I cringed backward, but the wall was behind me. 

“Two seconds pumpkin. I just need to check to see if you have a fever. Maybe you need an early ni-” she stopped talking, and I winced as I saw her gazing at the vodka.

“Have you two been drinking Mia Elizabeth?” she had turned to look at Mia, and I watched as Mia shrunk back against the fridge.

She looked at the floor, not answering.

“One.” Shit. Lisa didn’t mess around.

“Yes,” Mia sounded panicked as she responded.

“And are you allowed to drink?” Lisa’s voice was practically arctic. This was apparently a much bigger issue than it was at my house.

“No ma’am.”

“You can go wait in time out,” Lisa turned away from Mia, clearly dismissing her. 

At first, I felt badly for Mia. Then Lisa was looking at me, and I was a bit more concerned with whatever was about to happen to me.

“Are you allowed to drink at your house Eleanor?”

I shrugged, “Sometimes.” I couldn’t make eye contact.

“Did you know that Mia wasn’t allowed to drink? Did she tell you?”

I nodded hesitantly.

“I think we need to call your Daddy,” Lisa was dialing her phone, and I pulled my feet up on the stool, hugging my knees tightly. Daddy was not going to be happy with me.

“Hi Mark,” Lisa sounded grim, and I buried my face against my legs, not wanting to be here.

Lisa’s POV

I was livid as I made the call. Not at El who looked like she was about to burst into tears. She’d broken the rules, but she had no way of knowing why we had it.

Before Mia and I started seriously seeing each other, she drank. A lot. Not like she was an alcoholic, but she drank whenever she was upset. And it was one of the first rules we made. No drinking. It messes with her medication, and it was easier to simply ban it.

But Mia knew. She’d gotten spanked for this a lot, and she knew better.

He picked up, “Hi Mark. We have a problem.” No reason to sugar coat it.

“What kind of problem? Is El okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, she’s fine. Drunk, but fine.”

“She’s drunk? Dammit. Lisa, I’m sorry. She knows better.”

That was odd, “You mean she’s not allowed to drink at your house?”

“Kinda. But we have rules, and she knows them. Only with my permission and with me. I am so sorry Lisa; it’s never really been an issue before.”

“Hold on a minute,” taking the phone away from my ear, I looked at El. She was brushing tears off of her cheeks, and she looked really upset. “El, I’d like you to go lie down please. I’ll be in to talk with you in a bit.”

She didn’t say anything, just nodding and leaving.

“What happened exactly?”

“I had to work late. I came home, and they had gotten into some vodka I’d forgotten we even have. We don’t drink; Mia’s not allowed to, and I don’t think it’s fair for me to if she can’t. She’s in huge trouble; I figured you should know what happened now.”

“I understand. Can I talk with El?”

“Of course,” I walked to the guestroom, and knocked on the door, “El, honey? Your daddy wants to talk with you.” I pushed the door open; El was curled up on the bed, and she’d clearly been crying.

I tried to smile reassuringly as I sat on the bed, “Here kiddo.”

She took the phone, sitting up against the headboard.

Mark’s POV

“Hi Daddy,” El’s voice was breathy. She sounded nervous.

“Hi Eleanor. You want to tell me what happened?”

“Mia and I had a couple of drinks,” she said. I could hear her squirming over the phone.

I sighed, collapsing on my bed, “And is that against the rules at their house?”

She let out a little sob, “Yeah. Sorry Daddy.”

I scrubbed at my face, sighing. “Did you know before you guys started drinking?”

“Yes,” she was really quiet now.

“Thank you Baby. I want you to give Lisa back her phone, and I think you need to go wait in time out please.”

“Are you mad?” she whimpered.

“I don’t like what you did, but I’m not mad at you,” I said patiently, wondering how many times we’d have to have that particular conversation before it stuck.

“Sorry Daddy,” she was crying again.

“I know. Go on now Princess. Time out please.”

“Is she okay?” I asked Lisa.

“Yeah, she’s fine Mark. Crying a little, but she’s fine,” I heard the door closing, and I assumed Lisa had gone back into the hallway.

“What do you want to do?” I wasn’t sure how to handle this. I’d warned El that she needed to follow their rules, and I would have to spank her for this anyway.

“Mia’s going to get punished. I told her last time that I’d use a belt if she drank again.”

Because of course, it had to be the belt. I couldn’t have Lisa punish El with a belt; they terrified her, and the idea of anyone else spanking her was already scary.

“What do you want me to do with El?” Lisa broke through my thoughts.

“I don’t know. We don’t use belts; they scare the hell out of her.”

“I wouldn’t with El. She broke the rules, but the issue with Mia is that we’ve had this discussion several times. That’s why we’re up to the belt. The first time she broke the rules, I just spanked her with my hand. But Mark, it’s fine if you want to wait. I know she’s nervous about staying here.”

“Mia’s getting punished; it’s not okay for El to get off scot free.”

“You’re not going to do anything when she gets home?”

I sighed, “No. She’ll get spanked regardless; she knows she’s not supposed to drink without me. But I warned her Lisa. I told her that if you had to call me I’d okay you spanking her,” I paused, thinking. “If you don’t mind?”

“No no,” she assured me, “I’m fine with it. I think that maybe you should talk to her first though.”

El’s POV

Lisa came back into my room and called me over to the bed, “Daddy wants to talk to you again pumpkin. I’m going to give you some privacy. You come and find me in the living room when you’re done.”

I nodded and settled myself on the bed, “Daddy?”

“Hi Baby. You okay?”

“I’m sorry I was bad Daddy. Am I in trouble?” No point in beating around the bush.

“I told you that you would be if you broke their rules.”

I nodded, forgetting that he couldn’t see me. “I’m getting spanked when you get home?” I asked him.

“And tonight.”

“No Daddy! I don’t want Lisa to spank me; I wanna wait for you to get home.”

Daddy’s voice was patient, “Mia’s going to get spanked El. Do you think it’s fair that you don’t?”

“No,” he had a point, “But if you spank me when you get home, then I got spanked.”

“When I get home, you’re getting spanked for not following our rules about drinking and for giving Lisa a hard time. Lisa’s going to spank you for breaking their rules.”

“Daddddddy,” I whined, crying.

“Don’t Daddy me young lady. You know what we talked about. I want you to go out and tell Lisa you’re ready. When she’s done, then you need to take your shower and get into bed. I’ll call you in 45 minutes.”

I whined wordlessly, jiggling my knee.

“Go. March.”

I bit my lip, wanting to yell at him, “Daddy, I don’t want to.”

“I understand. Now go.”

“Fine,” I hung up on him and walked into the living room. 

Lisa’s POV

El looked utterly miserable when she came into the living room and handed me my phone back.  
“Daddy said that you’re going to...” she trailed off, clearly unable to say it.

“I am. Let’s go back into your room so we have some privacy,” I stood up and offered my hand to her. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around her body.

We walked to her room, and I sat on the bed and pulled her between my knees, “El, do you want me to explain what’s going to happen? Will that make it easier for you?”

She nodded, literally shaking. I needed to get this over with before she got herself too worked up.

“I’m going to take you over my knee,” I explained, “Then I’m going to spank you over your panties.”

“With what?” she breathed out.

“My hand. Just my hand,” I lifted my hand up to her face, brushing her hair away, “No big deal kiddo. It’ll be over fast. You’re in trouble for drinking when you knew it was against the rules. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

“Can you take down your pants for me?”

She did as she was asked, and then she lay across my lap. Her muscles were all tensed, and I gently rubbed her back, “Relax pumpkin. It’s just a spanking.”

She nodded, making a little noise of assent.

Deciding that there was no point to further discussion, I began spanking. She was already crying when I started, and I had to watch the color of her thighs to tell when I was done. I was more interested in proving a point than anything else.

It didn’t take long, and I was ready to stop. Gently rubbing her back again, I crooned the same nonsense that calmed Mia down. It took longer than it normally does with Mia, but she finally stopped crying. Sliding off my lap, she rested her head in my lap and knelt on the floor.

“You doing okay?” I asked.

“Uh huh. Sorry I broke your rules.”

“That’s okay. You got spanked, and it’s all done now.

She looked up at me, “Daddy’s going to spank me when he gets home,” she said.

“That’s between you and him. We’re all done; you’re forgiven.”

She nodded.

“I’d like you to go take your shower while I’m dealing with Mia,” I helped her stand up.

“Is Mia in a lot of trouble?” she whispered, avoiding eye contact.

“Mia’s in exactly the amount of trouble I promised her for drinking. All you need to worry about is going and doing what I told you to. Okay?”

El’s POV

I didn’t feel good about this. Lisa was clearly upset with Mia, and I was pretty sure that she was not about to get a little spanking. Mine hadn’t even really hurt that much.

“Go shower now,” Lisa directed me, landing a relatively light swat to my bottom.

I hurried off to the shower, not interested in doing anything else that Daddy would consider bad. I was crossing my fingers that he would decide my spanking tonight was enough, but I had a very bad feeling that I was looking at another spanking tomorrow. Plus, we weren’t going to go to the hands-on museum, and I wasn’t going to get my present.

As I stood waiting for the shower to warm up, I cursed my decisions. I didn’t even like drinking that much. Why had I decided to do it? Now I was in trouble, and Mia was in trouble, and Daddy was going to want to discuss things when he got home.

Lisa’s POV

I wanted to give El a hug, but she was so touchy about contact that I didn’t dare. So I just sent her to shower. I had to hurry up; I didn’t want her to hear Mia’s punishment.

Not that Mia didn’t deserve a little embarrassment to go along with the discomfort, but I didn’t want El to feel badly about her relatively light spanking. I walked to our bedroom, where I found Mia standing in her corner.

“Come here Baby,” I told her, sighing.

She walked over to me, eyes downcast.

“Why are you in trouble?” I said, tired.

“I drank. I’m sorry Mommy; I didn’t mean to get El in trouble.”

“What about you?” I looked up at her, “You aren’t supposed to drink at all. What were you thinking?”

She shrugged.

“That’s not an answer Mia Elizabeth.”

“I just wanted to,” her voice had taken on a vaguely snotty tone, and I reached out to swat her thigh.

“You must have just wanted Mommy’s attention. Have you been having a hard time this week because you had to share me? Is that it?”

She looked at me when I said that, shaking her head, “No! I like El. El’s fun. And El’s daddy is fun too. Way funner than you; she’s allowed to drink.”

“Not the point young lady,” I made my voice as stern as possible. “YOU are not allowed to drink. You broke the rules. What did I promise you last time?”

Mia’s eyes widened when I said that, “I don’t want the belt!” Both of her hands were now behind her, palms out, protecting her bottom.

Well, she was sounding a little less bratty now. The belt was reserved for only the worst offenses; Mia had felt it maybe half a dozen times in the five years we’d been together. 

I’d had someone use it on me before I tried it on Mia, and I’d come to the conclusion that the reason she hated it so much was because it was so rarely used. It didn’t feel good, but it wasn’t much worse than the hairbrush. She knew that I only ever used it when she had really screwed up, and she absolutely despised the belt.

“Pants and panties off, and I want you bent over the foot of the bed,” I watched her struggle with obeying the order. “Now young lady. You do not want me to add on to what you’re about to get.”

At that, she forced herself to do as she was told. Once she was settled, I began spanking her with my hand. I didn’t bother to lecture; Mia knew what she had done. I concentrated on creating a uniform pink. 

Once I accomplished that, I went to the wardrobe. “You stay right where you are Mia Elizabeth,” I ordered her. I’d had her bolt a few times, early on, but she didn’t do it anymore. However, she found the reminder difficult to hear without talking back, and I had no interest in making this easy on her tonight.

“You’re getting 25. I want you to count them.” I toyed with the idea of insisting on her thanking me, but I decided not to. The last thing we needed was to have this drag on all night.

I brought the belt down hard, right across the middle of her bottom. 

“One,” she said, twisting a little.

She managed to make it through the first ten with minimal movement and no tears. Than I laid the belt against her thighs, and she made a little yelp of pain.

“I didn’t hear that Mia Elizabeth.”

“Eleven Mommy,” she gasped out.

She cried at the thirteenth stroke, and by twenty, she was openly sobbing. I decided to focus on her sit spot, and she yelped at that.

“Twenty-one. Twenty-two. Oooooh Mommy no more,” she whimpered instead of counting.

“Count or we’ll start over,” I forced myself to breathe. I hated this. 

“Twenty-three,” she sobbed.

“Good girl,” I said, bringing the belt back down.

“Twenty-four. Mommy pleeeeeease no more. I promise I’ll never ever ever drink again.”

“One more Mia. I want to hear you count it.” Steeling myself, I brought the belt down harder than before, catching her at the tops of her thighs, right where I knew it would hurt the most.

She shrieked and almost stood up, but she managed to stop herself just in time. 

I gave her a minute, but she didn’t count, “How many was that Mia Elizabeth; I know you don’t want me to start from the beginning.”

“Twenty-five Mommy. Ohhhhh it hurrrrrrrts.”

“It’s supposed to,” I helped her stand up, and then I waited until she looked at me. “What’s the rule about drinking?”

“Not allowed,” she cried, bouncing a little; I could tell she was trying hard not to rub.

“That’s right. And to remind you of that, you’re going to be writing me a research paper. 15 pages, why alcohol is not a good idea for someone with your diagnoses on your medication. In longhand, with footnotes. I expect it from you by Sunday at 5:00 PM. Spelling and grammar count, and I want good handwriting.”

She scowled at that, “That’s not fair Mommy. I already got punished.”

“You got part of your punishment. And if you want to talk back, we can go into the bathroom and see about washing that sassiness right out of your mouth.”

She shook her head quickly at that, “No Mommy. Sorry. I didn’t mean to sass you.”

“I didn’t think so. Now, as I was saying, I want that paper by Sunday at 5:00. You’ll have plenty of time because you’re grounded for two weeks, including the television, and your computer access is just for research. Early bedtime too.”

She went back to scowling at that pronouncement; she knows early bedtime means bedtime spankings. With that incentive in mind, she managed to keep her mouth shut.

“And Mia Elizabeth, if I catch you drinking again, you’re not just going to get 25 with the belt. You’ll be looking forward to twice that along with being grounded for a month.”

She couldn’t hold back any longer, “Mommy, 50 is too many. 25 really hurt.”

“I’m sure they did. 50 will hurt more. I’m not messing around with this Mia; your health is important. And you know exactly what you need to do to prevent yourself from getting another spanking for this.”

She nodded, a pout firmly on her face.

“You can go and take your shower, and then it’s bedtime.

“Mommy, it’s only 8:00.”

I raised my eyebrows at her, surprised that she was already arguing. Especially since she knew she was going to get a bedtime spanking.

“But we didn’t eat Mommy,” she almost stomped her foot then but managed to stop herself just in time.

“I ought to let you go to bed hungry,” I admonished her, “You go take your shower now before I decide that your bedtime spanking tonight will be with the belt.”

That made her turn tail and run to our bathroom. I waited a moment until I heard her get into the shower, and then I went to check on El.

She was curled up in her bed already, hugging her hippo. I sat down next to her and ran my fingers through her wet hair, “You doing okay pumpkin?”

She nodded, avoiding eye contact.

“Mia said you guys didn’t eat anything.”

She looked up at that, her eyes wide, “We thought you’d be later. We didn’t do it to be bad.” Her voice was nervous.

“I’m not mad El. Remember? We’re all done with that. You need to eat some dinner though.”

“Daddy said to stay in bed,” she told me, clearly unsure of who to listen to about this.

“I think that’s a good idea. I’m going to bring you some dinner, but I think that early bed is probably what you need. Do you eat peanut butter and jelly?” It was brat food: bland and easy to digest. I’d yet to meet a kid (or an adult kid) who didn’t like it.

“Do you have smooth peanut butter?” she asked hesitantly.

I smiled and nodded, “We do. What kind of jelly do you like?”

“Strawberry,” she was looking down again, “But it’s okay if you don’t have it.”

“I like strawberry too. Crusts on or off?”

“On. Crusts are just bread too. Can you cut it in triangles though?”

Crusts are just bread, but the shape of the bread matters. I wanted to ask, but I managed to restrain myself, “Two or four?”

“Two please.”

“I’m going to go and make you your sandwich. I want you to wait here.”

I left El in the bedroom and went to make dinner. After dropping a plate with Mia (who was sitting in bed with her arms crossed across her chest and a scowl firmly on her face), I went to El’s room.

“Here pumpkin, I thought you could keep me company while I ate too.” I handed her a plate with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and apple slices and her sippy cup filled with water.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I began eating my dinner as well. “Does it taste okay?” I asked her.

“Yes thank you,” she was slowly chewing and swallowing her apples, alternating each bite with a sip of water. Eating behaviors. I made a mental note to mention it to Mark, make sure that he was aware of it.

She was silent as she ate; once she finished her apples, her water was gone as well. 

“Do you need more?” I asked, reaching for the cup.

“If it’s not too much trouble,” she was back to being overly polite, as she had been the first night, and she wouldn’t look at me.

“Of course not pumpkin. Do you want to come into the kitchen with me? You need your vitamins too.”

She didn’t look like she wanted to do anything except be left alone, but she swung her legs out of bed and followed me, Stella clutched tightly in her arms.

She obediently took all four vitamins and gratefully drank another cup of water before I refilled her cup for the third time and we walked back to her bedroom. 

Halfway through her sandwich, Mark called her.

“El, if that’s Daddy I’d like to speak with him please.”

She looked at me, worry pretty clear on her face, but she nodded and handed me the phone, not bothering to answer it even.

“It’s okay pumpkin. Just finish your sandwich and brush your teeth; I’ll be back in a minute.” I walked out into the hallway.

“Hi,” I told him.

“She’s okay?” he sounded worried.

“Yes. She’s fine. I barely spanked her at all Mark; I think she’s more upset that she got into trouble than anything. She’s in bed now; I gave her a sandwich and an apple, and then I’m going to have her go to sleep once she talks with you.”

“She didn’t give you any trouble about anything?”

“Are you kidding me? She’s back to being the perfect houseguest.”

“Dr. Finnegan calls it being “the Best Little Girl in the World”; she said El overcompensates when she’s done something wrong.”

“Mia’s the opposite. She’s in thorough disgrace right now, and she’s tap dancing the line. I doubt we’ll get through the next 24 hours without at least one more spanking. And that’s on top of the bedtime spankings.”

“El sometimes likes to dig herself deeper with me, but she tends to panic with other people. I guess I should be flattered; she always comes home excited when she has a kid do something outrageous. She claims it means they trust her.”

“Well, she’s fine. I think we probably need to make sure she comes over as soon as Mia’s ungrounded. Otherwise she’s going to work herself into not ever wanting to be over here again.”

“That’s a good idea,” he told me. “How did you figure all this crap out? You’re an engineer; you sound like a therapist.”

“Five years with Mia. That’s five years of therapy.”

“That makes sense. El can do that; I always figured that it’s a professional thing.”

“Probably. Hey, did you talk with Dr. Finnegan about food at all?”

“What about food?”

“The behaviors?” Mark didn’t respond, so I continued, “Tonight, she ate all of her fruit first, and she takes a drink between each bite. Then she ate her sandwich.”

“Why is that a problem?” he sounded puzzled.

“Food is control. You may want to keep an eye on it; it could just be stress, but you mentioned that she tends to skip meals.”

We talked for about five more minutes, and then I took the phone in to El.

“You all done pumpkin?” I asked her, and she handed me her plate.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Did you brush your teeth?”

She nodded, reaching for the phone.

El’s POV

The first thing Daddy said to me was, “I heard Lisa ask you a question. I’d like to hear an answer please.”

I blushed, but I looked up at Lisa, “I brushed. Thank you for bringing me the phone.”

She smiled at me, “Good girl. I’ll be back in about 15 minutes.”

“Hi Daddy,” I said.

“Hi Princess. You survived?”

“It wasn’t so bad,” I told him. “She spanked Mia lots harder though,” I had heard Mia crying when I got out of the shower.

“Well, Mia’s gotten into trouble for this before. It’s like when you get spanked for not eating; it’s a big problem for us.”

I lay down on my side, “I know Daddy. But Mia was really crying.”

“You cry when I spank you Baby. Now, other than the spanking, did you have a good day?”

I started to feel better as I laid it out for Daddy, “It was horrible Daddy.” I continued, telling him about all the bad stuff that had happened. By the time I finished, I was yawning.

“Okay Baby, it’s almost 15 minutes. Lisa’s going to be in to tuck you in soon. I’m going to take a cab to their house when I get in tomorrow; I’ll meet you there after work.”

“No Daddy, we can meet at our house,” I told him. 

“No, we’re going to meet there,” Daddy’s voice was that exaggerated patient voice he used sometimes. It was the “don’t push it” voice.

“Okay. When though Daddy?”

“I’ll be there at about 6:30. I’ll call when I get in though so you know I’m on my way.”

Lisa walked in, “You almost ready for lights out?”

Daddy heard her, “Good night Princess. Sweet dreams. I love you.”

“I love you too Daddy,” I was gripping the phone hard, and I didn’t want to hang up.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Uh huh,” I told him. Then he hung up.

Lisa began moving the covers, getting me all situated. Once I was tucked in, she leaned over to kiss my forehead, “You come and get me if you need me. Understood? It’s okay if you have a nightmare or something; I won’t be upset if you wake me up.”

“‘K.” I was not waking her up. 

She left the bedroom, turning off the lights on her way, and I focused on falling asleep. I was tired, and the vodka was helping. I had almost managed to nod off when I heard it.

“No Mommy!” Mia sounded panicked, and I sat up, clutching Stella to my chest. 

I could hear Lisa talking, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. 

Then Mia responded, “No. You already spanked me today Mommy; it’s not fair.”

I lay back down, covering my ears with my pillow and rocking as I hummed to myself. It didn’t help, I could still hear Mia crying as Lisa spanked her. I couldn’t fall asleep to that, and even once it stopped, I couldn’t really relax.

Lisa’s POV

It was just one last thing. We’d eaten dinner; I’d gotten El off to bed. Mia just had her bedtime spanking, and then I could tuck her in.

I kept my voice even, “Yes Mia. You know the rules about this; you’re getting a bedtime spanking. Now come here before you make it worse.”

“No. You already spanked me today Mommy; it’s not fair,” she stomped her foot.

“I’m going to count Mia. If you’re not here by the time I get to three, we’re going to start adding days to your grounding. One.”

Mia stared at me defiantly.

“Two.”

“Three. Okay, that’s 15 days of being grounded now.”

Mia wouldn’t come forward still, and I narrowed my eyes at her, “Four.”

“Five.”

Mia finally cracked once I’d made it up to 11, “Thank you,” I told her. 

I got through her bedtime spanking fairly easily. It was a token spanking tonight; I knew she was sore from the belt. Once we were finished, I put her straight to bed.

“You stay too,” she sobbed.

“Nope. I’m not in trouble; I don’t need an early bedtime.”

“Mommy,” she wailed, “I don’t wanna be alone.”

“That’s why it’s a punishment,” I walked to the door and turned off the light, “Good night Mia.”

“I won’t stay in here,” I heard her say, sounding defiant again.

I leaned against the doorjamb. “You will. Or you can get another spanking tonight.”

She made a loud noise, but I watched her roll onto her side. “Good night,” I said. 

I decided to watch some television and relax before I went to sleep. Settling on the couch, I found an old episode of Law and Order.

When I jerked awake, it was to the sound of whimpers. I lifted my wrist to my look at my watch; it was midnight.

Forcing myself up, I stumbled down the hallway to our bedroom, but Mia was sound asleep. Then I remembered that El was here.

I walked to the guest bedroom and opened up the door, “Hey pumpkin. It’s okay.” Flipping on the lights, I saw El huddled on her side, crying softly.

“What’s the matter? Bad dream?” I sat next to her and rubbed her back a little, and she jerked away.

El’s POV

I didn’t want Lisa touching me; Mia had been crying really hard. Lisa was mean, and I wanted to go home; I wanted my Daddy.

Scooting away as quickly as I could, I got myself to the other side of the bed and then stared at Lisa with wide eyes.

“It’s okay El. Just a nightmare,” Lisa smiled at me, but I didn’t smile back. “Why didn’t you come and get me?”

“Didn’t need you,” I whispered.

“Pumpkin,” Lisa started again.

“I’m not your pumpkin,” I said, angry. “I want Daddy.”

“Okay. I understand that, but he’s not here right now. He’s going to come and get you after work. Why don’t you come sit with me for a while. I can make us some hot chocolate, and you can tell me about your dream.”

I shook my head no, “I don’t want to.”

She looked at me as though she wanted to insist, but then she nodded. “Okay. I’m going to go to bed then. Will you come and get me if you need something?”

I nodded, but I had no intention of needing her.

Once she left, I curled up on my side, and then I noticed my phone. She had forgotten to take it away tonight. Reaching one hand out, I picked up it and dialed Daddy’s number.

“Hello?” Daddy’s voice was thick with sleep. 

“Daddy?” I whispered, my voice wavering.

Mark’s POV

I sat up, running my hand over my face, “Hey Princess. What are you doing up?”

“I had a bad dream,” she said.

“You did?” I looked at the alarm clock. It was 11:15 my time; it was after midnight in Detroit. “What was it about Baby?”

“Lisa’s mean Daddy,” she said, not answering my question.

“El,” I sighed, “What was your dream about?” It was better not to get into a debate with her about the relative meaness of anybody. It wasn’t going to do anyone any good this time of night.

“She hitted Mia Daddy,” El whispered.

“Mia got spanked Baby,” I told her patiently. “You know how it works. You guys broke the rules, and Mia’s mommy spanked her. Just like I spank you. It’s not a big deal.”

“No Daddy,” El’s voice rose a little, “She spanked her a lot Daddy. I don’t like it here; it’s yucky.”

“El, Baby, it’s really late. I think you had a bad dream, and it’s just making you a little scared right now. Why don’t you go get Lisa and tell her? You can have some warm milk, and I bet she’d read you a story.”

“No Daddy,” El sounded panicky now. “I don’t want Lisa. I want you.”

“I know,” I said, trying to placate her. “But I’m not there right now. Lisa can help.”

“Nu uh Daddy.”

“What would you like me to do?” I decided to try a new tact. 

“I want you to come home,” she said, sniffling.

“I’ll be home tomorrow. What can we do right now so that you can get some sleep?”

“Read to me Daddy?” she asked.

I didn’t want to. She should be sleeping. Part of me thought that I should call Lisa and have her get El, but she sounded so damn upset.

Rolling over, I grabbed our book from the nightstand. “I’ll read, but is your light off?”

“Uh huh.”

“Are you tucked in? Because I want you laying down and trying to fall asleep. You get one chapter, and then you have to sleep. Got me?”

“K Daddy,” now that she had gotten what she wanted, she was sounding calmer.

I opened the book, “Chapter 2,” I started.

El’s POV

I got up early and left for work; I didn’t want to have to see Mia or Lisa this morning. So I left a note for them on the counter, and I stopped for a bagel on my way in. I figured there wasn’t any use to breaking more rules. It was going to be bad enough when Daddy got home.

I made it through the day with minimal stress. The problems from the day before had evaporated, and I spent most of my time driving to an IEP and talking with (an extremely reasonable) special education department.

Friday was an early day this week; I had tried to convince Daddy that I should get to work more time because he wasn’t here, but he hadn’t bought that argument.

So I was home by 5:00; Mia had beaten me, and we had a chance to talk about the night before. Mia said Lisa had used a belt, and now I felt really badly about only getting a little spanking. I didn’t want to be here anymore. I decided to go and pack so that I could leave as soon as Daddy got there.

Lisa came home while I was doing that. “Hey El, how was work?” she asked, leaning in the doorway to the guest bedroom.

“Okay,” I replied, not making eye contact.

“Everything packed?”

I nodded. I’d stripped the bed and thrown the sheets in the washer. I wanted it to be like I’d never been there. 

I also wanted Lisa to leave. I didn’t know what to say to her; it had been awkward enough with Mia. But Lisa didn’t leave. Instead, she walked over to a chair and sat down.

Lisa’s POV

“El, can you come sit with me for a while?” I asked her calmly. She was skittish; we needed to talk about last night now before she managed to work herself up again. I patted the chair next to me.

She had frozen when I asked, simply staring at the indicated seat.

“It’s okay pumpkin,” I reassured her, “You’re not in any trouble. I just want to talk.”

I watched her bite her lip and unzip her suitcase, pulling out her hippo. With the animal in her hands, she walked over to the chair and sat down, staying as far away from me as possible while still sitting where I had indicated.

I wasn’t sure how to start, so I decided to dive in, “We had a rough night here last night.”

El looked at me, wide eyes. “You said it was over,” she told me, her voice tinged in panic. “I got spanked; now I’m not in trouble here anymore.”

“You aren’t,” I said, smiling at her. “I just figured we should talk about it. I’m guessing that was the first time you got spanked by anyone other than Daddy?”

She nodded, chewing on her lip. I wasn’t sure what their rules were about that, but she was going to draw blood. I leaned over and tugged at her lip gently.

“Don’t do that El. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Daddy doesn’t like that,” she said somberly.

“What?” I asked, not sure what she was talking about.

“I’m not ‘llowed to hurt myself.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that we stopped you before you chewed a hole in your lip then.”

El didn’t respond, staring at the floor and kicking one of her feet restlessly.

“I can tell you’re upset; I’d like to talk with you about it before your Daddy gets here.”

She shook her head at that, “I’m not upset. Everything’s fine.”

“I can see that,” I told her, “You’re acting like nothing is wrong.”

“I’m fine. I just get nervous sometimes. That’s all.” She wouldn’t make eye contact as she said it.

“Are you allowed to lie at your house El? Because that’s a rule here.”

She shook her head again.

“Everything’s not fine. You look upset; we need to talk about it.”

She was rocking slightly, and I decided to just sit quietly and see what happened. It was 5:30; we had time.

She finally broke, “You spanked Mia last night.”

“I did,” I agreed easily.

“A lot. You spanked her a lot more than me.”

“That’s true,” I waited to hear her say more.

“We did the same thing,” she finally said, looking at me.

“Kind of,” I told her. “Except I’ve told Mia a lot of times that drinking isn’t allowed. Does your Daddy spank you the same amount if you do something bad once as he does if you’ve done the same bad thing over and over again?”

“No. Not usually. ‘Cept for hurting myself; that’s always the spoon. But you spanked Mia really really bad. I heard her crying.”

“She was crying because it hurt. Don’t you cry when you get spanked?”

She nodded slowly. “Mia said you used a belt,” she said quietly.

“I did. This was a big bad thing that Mia did. So I used a belt. That’s what we do in this house pumpkin.”

“Daddy doesn’t do that.”

“No?”

“I don’t like belts,” she said, her voice very quiet now.

“Neither does Mia,” I told her. “That’s why it works.”

El’s POV

I was getting pretty frustrated. I didn’t want to talk to Lisa about the night before, and she wouldn’t leave me alone. 

Might as well just deal with it then. Daddy would be here soon anyway.

“If I tell you what’s bothering me,” I asked her, “We’re done talking?”

“For today,” she looked amused. “I would expect that you’ll be coming back to visit us again though El.”

“Daddy doesn’t use belts. Not ever,” I said.

“Rules are different between houses pumpkin. That’s okay.”

“When I’m here, I have to follow your rules.”

Lisa’s POV

I couldn’t tell what she was getting at now. I thought it was just upset over being punished, but I felt like we’d been talking in circles. I figured my best bet was simply to acknowledge what she said.

“Kind of,” I replied, “I think it’s more that you have to follow the stricter rule. Like, Mia sometimes skips meals, and that’s not a big deal here. But at your house, it is. So if you’re staying here, you still have to eat because that’s a rule for you. But, Mia isn’t allowed to swear, and you’re allowed to. When you visit here, you don’t get to use bad language.”

She nodded at that. “When I do something bad, I get spanked.”

“Yes,” I told her.

“Here too,” she continued.

“Sometimes.”

“What if I did something really bad?” she asked me, haltingly.

Then it clicked, “El, are you worried that I would use a belt with you?”

She nodded slowly, but then hurried to explain. “But it’s not fair Lisa. Mia got hit with a belt, but I don’t want you to do that to me. But it’s not fair because we were both naughty.”

“Oh pumpkin,” I told her, reaching a hand out to touch her cheek, “Why didn’t you tell me that you were scared about that?”

She shrugged.

“El, you don’t have to worry about that. You and your Daddy agreed to no belt?”

She nodded.

“I wouldn’t do something like that with you then. How about we make a deal?”

She looked at me suspiciously. “Daddy doesn’t like making a deal,” she said.

“That’s okay. It’s just a you-and-me deal anyway. You agree that you’ll keep coming over here to see Mia and me, and I promise you that the only punishment I’ll ever use with you without talking to Daddy first is a time out. Fair?”

“Daddy wouldn’t let you use a belt,” she told me, seeming uncertain.

“He said he wouldn’t use a belt; I’m sure he’s not going to let me do it. He got really nervous yesterday just about me giving you a spanking.”

Her face had relaxed already, and she giggled a little bit at that, “That wasn’t even barely a spanking Lisa.”

“No?” I acted shocked.

“No,” she said scornfully. “That was like a tiny little baby spanking. My Daddy spanked me more when I decided to make Barnaby be like a vampire from Twilight.”

El’s POV

Lisa looked at me quizzically for a moment, and I realized I’d probably need to tell her more.

“Barnaby’s my kitty,” I explained. “Edward Cullen sparkles. It was for Halloween.”

She started laughing, and then she stood up. Offering me her hand, we walked into the living room. “How did you make Barnaby sparkle?” she asked me.

“Glitter. It’s not good for cat fur. I figured I could just wipe it off with a washcloth. He usually likes that. But it didn’t work.”

“What happened?” Lisa was laughing a lot more now.

“The litter box was very festive for a few weeks. Daddy spanked me; it wasn’t fair though because I didn’t know that Barnaby being sparkly was going to be bad. I thought it would just be funny. Daddy didn’t think so.”

Mark’s POV

I expected a lot of things when I picked El up. Mostly, I figured I was looking at either a withdrawn little girl or one who cried.

I had not anticipated that she would be sitting with Lisa, laughing. When El saw me, her face lit up.

“Daddy!” she said.

“Hi Baby,” I told her, walking over to the chair she was in. She was up and hugging me before I was even halfway there. “Did you miss me?” I teased, finally picking her up when she showed no signs of moving.

“Uh huh,” she said, face pressed against my neck and legs wrapped around my waist.

I walked us over to the chair where El had been sitting, and I settled us both down. “How did everything go?” I asked Lisa.

“Everything was fine Mark. I told you it would be.”

El’s POV

Wrapped around Daddy, I had no interest in anything else at the moment. I wanted home and Daddy, and I wished he would stop with the stupid small talk.

I sat and listened for a few minutes, trying to be patient, but I was happy when Daddy said something about going. He made me stand up by myself, and then he sent me to get my suitcase.

When I came back to the living room with my suitcase and Stella, Daddy and Lisa were talking. I waited quietly, listening.

“So that’s the only problem?” Daddy asked her.

“Yes Mark. Just the drinking. Don’t be too hard on her; she was devastated that she got into trouble to begin with.”

“I can’t just-” Lisa cut him off with a gesture, and he turned to look at me, smiling.

“You ready to go Baby?”

I nodded, carrying my suitcase to Daddy and leaning against him. “Thank you for having me,” I told Lisa. I’d gotten so excited when I saw Daddy that I forgot I was going to be in trouble. I was thinking maybe good behavior now might make my punishment later be not as bad.

“You’re welcome El. You and your Daddy should come over in a few weeks when Mia’s not grounded anymore.”

I smiled and nodded, and then we left. 

Daddy buckled me in when we got to the car; that was usually a bad sign. But then he let me pick the music, and he didn’t mention me getting into trouble. I toyed with Stella, not wanting to say anything.

Mark’s POV

El was quiet in the car; I could tell she was worried about what was going to happen when we got home. And I wasn’t entirely sure of what I wasn’t going to do, so I couldn’t put her mind at rest.

“What should we eat for dinner Baby?” I asked her, deciding to just get her to focus on something else.

“I don’t care Daddy,” she sounded preoccupied.

“Maybe we should eat liver,” I suggested. 

That got her attention, “You don’t like liver either,” she said scornfully.

“I don’t. What would you like to eat though?”

“Am I in trouble Daddy?” she asked me.

“Do you think you should be?” I said, stalling for time.

“I don’t like being in trouble,” she responded.

That made me smile a little, “You don’t? Because you certainly seem to.”

“Nu uh,” she told me, shaking her head. “It was a mistake Daddy, and Lisa already spanked me.”

“She did,” I agreed, “But I’m pretty sure we had a discussion about what was going to happen if you needed a spanking while I was gone.”

She fell silent at that, staring at the windshield. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her body now, and she was trying to not get upset.

I laid a hand on her knee, “We’ll deal with it, and then it’s over Princess. No big deal.”

She didn’t respond, and I was kicking myself. I shouldn’t have threatened her. It wasn’t like it was going to be a bad spanking, but I really didn’t want the first thing we did together after my trip to be this.

El’s POV

I didn’t want a spanking. I didn’t want a spanking. I didn’t want a spanking. It just kept running through my head, over and over again. 

I knew it wouldn’t do me any good to tell Daddy that. He always told me that if I didn’t want a spanking, I should behave myself. And he’s right. I hadn’t expected to get caught, but that wasn’t an argument that was going to go over well.

I decided to just wait. When we got home, I got out of the car; Daddy got the suitcases before I did. “I can do it,” I said quietly.

“I know you can Baby,” Daddy hugged me to his side, and then picked both of them up. “I’m going to though.”

I stayed near Daddy as he put the suitcases on the bed and began unpacking. I wanted to help, but he kept moving things out of my reach. It was a pretty clear message. Since I couldn’t help Daddy, I simply shadowed him everywhere.

It was weird. I knew he was going to spank me; I didn’t want to be spanked. But I couldn’t seem to leave him alone. If I had tried making myself scarce, he might have forgotten. Not that he ever had before, but there’s a first time for everything.

Around the third time he’d turned around and tripped over me, Daddy stopped what he was doing, giving me a look.

Mark’s POV

She’d been at my heels since we walked through the door. She wasn’t normally this clingy. I wasn’t sure if she would be better off with cuddles or time out, but I needed to unpack and start dinner. 

It was going to do either of us any good to put it off. “I’d like you to go to time out please,” I told her quietly, pointing to a corner in our bedroom. 

She bit her lip, looking at me for a moment.

“Go on,” I said, nodding at where she needed to go.

“Daddy?” she said, her voice tremulous.

“Time out Baby.”

“I will. Just...are you mad at me? Because I really didn’t mean to break their rules. Not really. I just had a bad day, and I’m really sorry.” Her hands were twisting together, and she was fighting back tears.

“I know. You’re in trouble, but I’m not mad,” I reassured her. “I’d like you to go wait in time out while I unpack.”

She nodded and did as she was told. After making sure that she was standing still, I hurried to finish unpacking. I didn’t want her to have to wait any longer than absolutely necessary.

 

El’s POV

I stood in the corner, listening to Daddy moving around the room. I had been telling the truth; I hadn’t meant to break the rules. I know Daddy had been worried that I’d be naughty just so that Lisa wouldn’t agree to watch me again, but I hadn’t. He said not to, so I tried really hard to be good.

It was just hard without him there. I didn’t like having to shower by myself or sleep alone. I liked it when he was there. Lisa and Mia were nice, but they weren’t like us. Lisa was a lot stricter, for one thing.

I hated time out, and I was glad when Daddy let me come out. Even though I knew that meant I’d get my spanking now.

He was sitting on the bed when he called me over, and I positioned myself in front of him. I forced myself to make eye contact with Daddy; he doesn’t always insist, but he likes it better. I wanted him to see that I was really sorry.

“That’s my good girl,” he praised me, “Thank you for coming right over.”

I nodded, trying to remain still and not fidget or cry.

“Can you tell me what happened last night?” he asked, his voice gentle.

“Lisa had to work late. Mia and I got drunk,” it wasn’t a complicated story. I didn’t have any real excuse. I’d simply wanted to drink enough that the risk seemed worth it, and I’d gotten caught.

“Can you tell Daddy why you broke the rules?”

I really didn’t want to tell him. Simply wanting to do something was not going to be considered sufficient cause for breaking a rule. Especially when Daddy had left me in someone else’s house and I was supposed to be on my best behavior.

“I shouldn’t have,” I told him, ducking my head. 

“No, you shouldn’t have, but why did you?”

“I just,” I tried to figure out a way to explain things without making it sound bad. There wasn’t any way. “I wanted to, and I figured Lisa wouldn’t know.” I looked at him, wanting to make sure that I told him the next part. “I shouldn’t have Daddy. I know that; it wasn’t okay just because Lisa wouldn’t find out. It was naughty, and I’m really sorry.”

“Lisa spanked you last night?” he asked me.

I nodded. He was acting funny; I thought he’d be madder.

“I’m going to spank you again. Do you understand why?”

“Because I’m not ‘sposed to drink without your permission, and it was really naughty to break Lisa’s rules.”

“That’s right,” Daddy didn’t bother to talk anymore as he unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans and then shoved them to my knees. Pulling me across his lap, he rested his hand on my panty clad bottom.

“It was very nice of Mia and Lisa to agree to have you as their guest; it is not okay that you decided to break their rules.”

I nodded, my head hanging down.

“You’re going to write Lisa a letter apologizing for not behaving yourself while you were at their home.”

I didn’t like that idea, but I wasn’t in the best position to argue. My discretion was definitely a good choice, as Daddy raised his hand and brought it down hard. 

“If I tell you to behave yourself, I expect you to do it. If I give you a rule, I expect you to follow it.” He spanked as he lectured, and I was quickly finding it to be pretty uncomfortable.

Mark’s POV

I watched El’s reactions as I spanked her. She definitely hadn’t liked the idea of an apology letter, but she hadn’t talked back. I kept up the sharp, stinging slaps until she began making little involuntary movements.

It was time to take her panties down. She made a little gasping sob as she felt me pulling on them, but she didn’t fight.

“I expect you to treat Lisa with the same amount of respect that you give me. It’s unacceptable to break the rules when you’re in her home.” I spanked her as I lectured.

“It’s hard enough for me to go out of town for work. It’s stressful. You should not be making things worse by acting up.”

She was moving more now, her legs kicking occasionally. “I know Daddy. Sorry,” she whimpered.

“You should be sorry. I don’t want to ever have this discussion with you again; if someone is kind enough to invite you into their home, then you had better behave yourself. Understood?” I brought my hand down hard on the backs of her thighs, and she was crying.

“Uh huh,” she sobbed.

“Alright then,” I stopped spanking, resting my hand on the reddened, hot skin. “All done Baby,” I crooned.

El’s POV

His hand was hot and heavy, and I was sore. It hurt, but it was also strangely grounding. He gave me a few minutes to collect myself, and then he helped me to my feet.

“How about,” he started, “We order Chinese food for dinner. I’ll give you your bath while we’re waiting, and then we’ll eat in bed. You can tell me all about your week. Does that sound good Princess?”

I roughly wiped my face off, nodding. 

“Then that’s what we’ll do.” Daddy picked me up and walked over to our chair. Cuddling together, he pulled out his cell phone and made an order with the Chinese place. 

“45 minutes,” he said, clicking the phone off. “I think that’s enough time for a bath.”

I stood up, and he led me to the bathroom. After filling the tub, he helped me step in. I sat still, not sure what to say to him. He always said that it was over once the punishment was over, but it still sometimes felt awkward. I didn’t understand how he moved so easily from the spanking to everything else.

Mark’s POV

She was quiet, withdrawn, as I began washing her hair. “Tilt back,” I instructed, pouring warm water to wet her hair.

She did as I asked, and I quickly washed her hair, sneaking in a scalp massage. It normally helped her relax, but tonight, she was tense.

“Wait until you see what I got you,” I told her, continuing to wash her as though nothing was wrong.

She looked at me then. “But I was bad,” she said, a puzzled look on her face.

“You were what?” I asked, hoping the question alone would remind her.

“I did something bad while you were gone,” she said, knowing what the issue was. It didn’t seem to matter how many times we went over it; El still insisted that she was bad.

“You did,” I acknowledged. “But I had already bought you your present, and I wasn’t going to take it back just because you made one bad choice. Especially because Lisa told me you behaved beautifully the rest of the time.”

She smiled at that, “She did?” Her tone was one of surprise.

“She did,” I confirmed. “She told me that you were very well behaved.” I ran my thumb across her cheek. “I know you can do it Baby. You made a mistake, but that’s okay.”

She nodded, but I could see she didn’t believe me.

Reaching under the sink, I pulled out the basket with her toys. “Should we play with boats tonight?” I asked her.

She shrugged, thinking again.

New plan. Grabbing the gift I’d hidden while I was putting toiletries away, I handed them to her. “I found you new ducks for your collection,” I said.

She smiled a little when she saw them. 

“Thank you,” she told me.

“You’re welcome.” Picking up one of the ducks, I submerged it and filled it with water. Then, I pulled it back out so that I could shoot water at her neck. 

El jumped, and then narrowed her eyes at me. “Not fair Daddy. You’ll be mad if I get you wet.”

“You’re right Princess,” I told her, leaving the ducks to float in the water as I picked up the washcloth and began washing her again. I tickled her a little, running my fingers across her tummy as I washed.

She giggled and twisted, so I did it again, managing to grab one of her ankles. The arches of her feet are insanely ticklish.

“Stop Daddy,” she shrieked, giggling. 

“Stop what?” I asked her innocently, acting as though I were simply washing her.

El’s POV

Daddy was being silly. I was glad when the doorbell rang, and he had to go and pay the delivery man. 

He left me in the tub while he went, and I decided to get myself out. By the time I’d dried off and put on my jammies, he was back upstairs with dinner.

We sat cross legged on the bed, talking about his business trip and my week at work. Once we had finished eating, Daddy left me in bed while he went to check the doors. When he came back, he had my bottle, and we cuddled together in the chair.

“Do you still want to go to the hands-on museum tomorrow?” he asked, his voice a comforting rumble.

I looked at him, confused, “You said we could do something fun if I behaved myself,” I reminded him.

“I did, and you mostly behaved yourself. So I figured we could still go and have fun.”

I nodded, excited. The hands-on museum was fun, and we hadn’t been in a while.

“You have to write that letter to Lisa first, but then we can go.”

“K Daddy,” I told him, yawning. I hadn’t slept well without him.

“I think it’s time for someone to go to bed,” he said.

I shook my head, “You too Daddy. Not just me.”

“You missed me,” he said, struggling to his feet while still holding me.

I nodded sleepily, “And we need to read still too.”

He smiled at me as he tucked me in. “Tomorrow night Baby,” he promised.

“Two chapters tomorrow then,” I bargained.

He smirked at that, crawling in next to me and cuddling. “Okay bossy girl. Two chapters tomorrow.” He turned the light off, and we slept.


End file.
